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AmyClark — Figure Drawing
Published: 2005-08-01 17:22:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 55779; Favourites: 395; Downloads: 15764
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These are from a speed-sketching class I took just over a year ago. I scanned them in this morning for a friend, to help illustrate my description of how I learned to bubble in human figures. It took me so darned long to catch onto this method (I'm an idiot) but once I did, I was hooked. These are random figures from a 200-figures-at-3-minutes-each drawig assignment, some poses taken from live (NAKED) models and some from photos and dvds.Just uploaded in case anyone else was interested
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Comments: 36
I really need help on figure drawing, but I don't know where to start! Do you have any tips/advice? This method looks promising, but I'm not sure how to learn it
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OMG JUST LEARNED HOW TO TO DO IT! LOL ALL I NEED NOW IS A COLORING TUT
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I've been very self conscious in my life drawing class because I'm the only advanced student in the class who still draws their key lines. I noticed it before, but the other day a student pointed that out and I felt a bit embarrassed.
Seeing this made me feel better, cause your stuff is awesome <3 Thank you for posting these!
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It took me a long while to train myself to use key lines and sketch guidelines! In high school, I used to pride myself on being able to create a drawing without any erasing or pre-sketching involved. But once I finally learned how to use these guidelines... my art began to improve!! 
Definitely don't feel embarrassed about using a technique like this, especially if it works for you. It's not a crutch or handicap - it's a useful tool!
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Yeahh I'm the same way! I used to never draw them, but once I realized how much those lines and boxes helped, I can't seem to draw without them anymore XD
Since I saw yours, I started drawing them properly again without any shame. I rather take the extra step to make it right than to cut corners and have it come out with some sort of flaw
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When body placement isn't a huge deal, I usually do find myself drawing in the head (even to the point of filling in the little facial details) before I sketch in the body. So this is usually what I do when sketching or drawing a pin-up. When I draw character interaction, or I need to place the character in a frame or setting or interaction I: sketch in a rough circle, jaw, and line maps for the face; sketch out the rest of the body; go back and start filling in details either in the face or the torso first. Usually I go for the head first because I can match body-size to the head better than I can match head-size to a body (hope that makes sense). If I flesh out the body before the head, I usually end up with a shrunken head. :3
I've been meaning like crazy to upload a new "my drawing process" step-by-step. I just never think to stop and scan my progress when I'm drawing.
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lol, I'll try.
As for "drawing order," I agree with the tutorials. By drawing the line of action and body first, we can best position our character in the scene/frame. In this way, we are creating with the whole character in mind (the big picture). But I think that many of us have gotten used to drawing the head first. As for myself, I think I do it because when I was younger, many times I would just draw heads (on my book covers, on math homework, on scrap paper). As I grew older and taught myself more drawing skills, I began to draw bodies and whole figures more often. But because I was used to just drawing heads (or, another favorite was an eye, lol) that's where I still start.
If I took the time to train myself to draw the body first, I honestly believe that my overall art would improve and I would draw more backgrounds as well (placing the character in an environment). And I do consciously do this at times, when I think it will help the composition or character interaction. But for the most part, drawing the head first serves me well in pin-ups, so I generally don't take the pains to change.
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Yay!
This will help me with my coursework,thank you for submitting this.
x
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Sure! It's great to hear it's of use to someone
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talking about figure dawing, since i didn't have my paper work in time for precollege, i just had to settle with one class (full-covered expenses) and it was figure drawing intro or lvl 1, it was really fun exect by the part were u have to look at the naked models, but gestures weren't as good looking as those, those are amazing for being done in 3 mins, at least for they are, but one thing about that class is that i got to experiment with some different materials i don't reguraly use, so it was fun, and there's an open house for my class in september 17th.
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*glomps* Thank you again, Amy~ These are wonderful.
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Awesome. Even thought they have hardly any detail you really get a sense of movement, nice ^_^
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hehe i love that u put this up 
i always enjoy seeing it and damn i need to learn this speed drawing u speak of ^^
been trying but unless i take a class i cant seem ot figure it out without sum1 telling me person to person lol sigh
anyway thnks phoenixelement
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No prob! Yeah, speed drawing class was extremely helpful for me. I can be so darn slow at drawing.
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Nice - I'll have to try stopping videos and dvds and drawing the poses ^_^
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Man, I wish I could draw postures like you draw -__-
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Practice, practice, practice. Bring your sketchbook to a park and draw the people around you.
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For some reason, it reminds me of "How to Draw the Marvel Way"... ever read that book?
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Nooo. I've seen it in Barnes & Noble, but I've never been so moved as to look through it.
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It's *very* old school. The part about inking is sooo hilariously out of date!
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Yeah, I remember my first figure drawings... I couldn't understand them... Looking back, I feel silly too
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Hehe, I was so very clueless about gesture-drawing for so very long. No one could explain it to me well enough
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Yeah I think I was the same way... it finally starting sinking in here in college...
Or maybe it's just that old addage: practice makes perfect... I've drawn enough shapeless blob gestures to prove the practice is there! LOL
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Wow, awesome!
So how exactly do you go about learning that method?
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A teacher stands behind you, bearing a large blood-stained mace....
The alternative learning method involves a xerox that I can't find (it wasn't helpful to me anyway). You just make a really quick stick-figure to check your proportions, then flesh it out with solid forms (eg: ribcage, arms, legs, pelvis/butt) as if you were constructing a sort of puppet.
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Dang... Even quick stuff you're so good.
These would make really great doll-pose bases, if it's okay with you, could I solidify some of the lines and do that? If not, it's no prob, they're just really nice natural poses.
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Thanks! You can use these poses for anything you'd like ^_^
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